Who was Chad King / Patrick Costello ?
I'm having trouble figuring out who this character was supposed to be? I haven't read the book so excuse my ignorance if it's obvious.
He's the guy who introduces Sal and Carlo to Dean right at the start. He knocks on Dean's apartment door, Dean's naked and says 'strong grip' when he shakes Sal's hand. Remember? It's only a very small role in the film
shareHe played a big role in the lives of the Beats, though — introducing Neal Cassady to the mix. ;-)
He's based on Hal Chase.
Friend of Neal Cassady from Denver. When he attended Columbia University, studying anthropology in the early 1940s, he shared apartments with Ginsberg, Kerouac, and Burroughs. Chase brought them early word of Neal and introduced them to each other when Neal visited New York in late 1946. Kerouac stayed with Hal and his family during his first visit to Denver in July 1947. Chase conducted important archaeological research at Trinidad, Colorado, in 1949. He met up again with William Burroughs in Mexico, 1951, while studying the Zapotecan language at Mexico City College. Chase drifted apart from the other Beats. He returned to the United States in 1956 to work at the University of Southern California, and eventually retired to live near Paso Robles, California.
If you want to find out any others, check out Dave Moore's "Kerouac Character Key" — http://www.beatbookcovers.com/kercomp/